3) From the time you walk in the door and talk to a recruiter, how long does it take to get into OCS? Some posts on here make it seem like a while, but i always had the stereotype that the military is desperate and will take anyone and sign them up on the spot??
It took me 8 months. Unlike enlisted recruits, you need to apply for officer communities like you would apply for any other job. You fill out paperwork where you tell the Navy how awesome you are, and then it goes to boards for the communities you apply for (or, in the case of nuke, it goes to an ascession officer before you go interview with the Admiral in DC). Some selection boards meet more often than others. If your credentials aren't up to par, then you will not be selected by your community's board.
Bonus: the Navy prefers technical degrees (although an MBA makes you very attractive for Supply), and at this point in time, anything less than a 3.0 gpa with good ASTB scores isn't very competitive.
Bottom line: people can't just walk into a recruiting station and become an officer by snapping their fingers. While it may not be as competitive as, say, medical school, it's certainly a prestigious position that requires exceptional credentials.
4) I've also seen posts about stress and crazyness at OCS. Is that just for the first couple weeks, or is it like that the whole way through?
OCS is stressful, and shitty, but it's not at all hard if you are 100% dedicated to earn your commission.
5) Let's say, one person had a dream of being a navy pilot and other just wanted to do office work on an aircraft carrier, would they both go to the same exact OCS?
All unrestricted line officers (those in command/warfighting positions) go to OCS, along with Supply Corps officers. All other staff corps officers (those who perform a particular profession within the military, eg doctors, lawyers, teachers) go to ODS, a 6 week program which is also in Newport.
Officers wear many hats in the Navy. You will never "just be doing office work." If that's what you're out to do, there are a ton of cubicles with your name on it at company X.
Spend some time on AW searching through old threads. Search for supply and see what you can turn up. Research what kind of job you're looking for on the Navy's website. If you're serious about OCS, talk to an OFFICER RECRUITER - do not make the mistake of just going down to the enlisted recruiter just because it's closest.
Some follow up gouge: Before you walk into the recruiting station, please PLEASE research the various officer communities, what their main jobs are, and what the pre-requisites are. The more that you research on your own before going in, the more the recruiter will be able to help you out. Then it's a matter of taking the ASTB to see if you're competitive. A few people came into my district and it definitely showed that their google-fu was lacking.
Well i have no interest in flying. If anything, i'd lean towards a surface ship. But i'm just wondering if the OCS training is exactly the same for both Naval officiers...and other types of officers.
The point of OCS is to indoctrinate you into the military and teach you military customs so everyone can look at you funny when you actually practice them correctly. You learn community-specific skills at follow-on schools, but ultimately most of what you learn is going to be on the job training.
